New situations can be daunting; even when those situations are clearly for your own good. It can be scary to embrace change, to ride the waves of uncertainty and continue to forge on when you find yourself faced with new faces, new challenges and/or new surroundings. It can be tempting to flee what is new and go back to what is familiar. Even when what is familiar is what we have been hoping would change. When the change eventually comes it often comes with factors we did not anticipate, feelings we cannot quite articulate and...

We all have a responsibility to prepare ourselves for that time when luck will meet opportunity. There will come a day when you could find yourself in a privileged position for promotion. You'll have an opportunity to leap frog a few steps forward and start earning more, taking on more responsibility, commanding more influence and/or playing on a larger stage. This will likely not happen without any investment on your part though. Yes, the opportunity may come regardless, but if you have not invested time, effort and hours into building yourself you will not be...

People are successful for all sorts of reasons. They are wealthy for all sorts of reasons. Their claim to fame has come from so many different things. What do you have in your hands? What are you good at? What do you feel strong and energized when you do? What compliments do you receive? What criticisms do you receive? What are you passionate about? What resources are available to you? In what areas do you stand out? What sets you apart? What is the context in which you exist and how can it help you...

I once read an article that burned down the corporate ladder principle in favour of a jungle gym. It posited that the road to professional success was less about clearly defined rungs reaching up to the sky, as it was about bars moving both vertically and horizontally which you climb in your own unique design. Even in such a short time my definition of success has changed, evolved, and expanded to agree with this jungle gym theory. The longer we work the more we realize that our definitions of success are flexible and adaptable –...

I could not believe it had already been a year. Time had flown so quickly. As I sat down for hair and make up I flipped through my photo album on my iPhone. Gosh, I was stunning. I had an angelic face, a slender gracefully toned body which I had showcased in cultural attire, bathing suits, and all kinds of high end clothing. My smile was perfect too. Although I couldn’t really take all the credit for that, or my body if I was being honest, but it was mine so therefore I was the...

On this one slightly uphill road, at this one exit, at this one traffic light – I purposefully piss people off. I hear the honking, see them trying to maneuver bigger cars into smaller spaces behind me out of frustration, and I don’t care. If I’m being honest, I inch closer to the edge so they can't make it past me. I am paying forward my past frustrations. With one foot on the brake I force the lesson I learned the hard way on them in an easier fashion. They just don’t know it yet.
I waste...

Shout it from the mountain tops
But whisper it in the congregation
The purpose is not validation
And popular opinion does not grant accreditation
.
Sing it to your soul in the early morn
Feed it with dedication
But hasten not to take out adverts
It needs no orientation
.
Build the dream not the team
Close your ears to the naysayers
Tick the items off your list
Open your heart to the prayers
.
You can achieve
Even when it feels crowded
The vision will become clear
Even though initially shrouded
.
Don’t let distractions prevail
Don’t pick up the heaviness
Dig a little deeper within
Soon you will strike success
.
Do what your heart tells you
Build what...

It was a Wednesday afternoon and she was sat at her desk with the sunlight reflecting off her computer screen. The ringing phone pierced the rhythmic hum of the computer monitors and she jolted and sat up with a start. The wheels of her chair spun and her chair tilted at a dangerous angle. She steadied her feet tucked into her favorite brown pumps, sat upright and tried to understand what was going on.
The shrill sound of the ringing phone continued to disrupt her thoughts. With her back straight and her arms suspended above her...

I had lost control over my own body. My limbs were betraying my initial intentions. It seemed I no longer had a say over an activity I had scheduled myself. Without realizing it my right hand reached out and impatiently tapped the speed button. What had begun as a run at the speed of '8' was down to a ‘5.4’ and getting lower every few seconds. I silently encouraged myself, “You can do it girl. You’re strong. You’re fast. Tired? What’s that?”
Yet body betrayed me further. My heart pounded in my chest and my legs...

Tears cascaded down her heat-flushed face. She felt her throat constrict as her tummy did backflips. She tried to repeat the mantra over and over again, stuttering as she spoke softly to the silent room:
“It doesn’t matter what they call me, it only matters what I answer to.”
“No one can make me feel inferior without my consent”
“I will not let the world tell me who I am.”
Yet all she could think about were her aunt’s parting words:
“You will never amount to anything."
"I wish I had never wasted my money on you."
"What are you even doing...